Improvement in machines for jointing staves



ZSh eets She-etI.

E. G. B. HOLMES.

Machines for jointing Staves. N0. 141,003. Patentedjuly 22,1873.

AM. mam-umosmm/c m. M).(0saomvs.'s PRacsss) v NITED STATES PATENT EDWARD HOLMES AND BRITAIN HOLMES, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR JOINTING STAVES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 141,003, dated July 22, 1873 application filed March 9, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD HoLMEs and BRITAIN HOLMES, of the city of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain Improvements in Stave- J ointing Machines, of which the following is a specification Our improvements relate to that kind of machines in which the knives are arranged in a circular disk or wheel, the stave to be operated upon being secured to a stave-holder or swing hinged in the vertical center line of the cutter wheel, above and below the same, so that the stave can be brought in contact with the cutter-wheel on each side of said center line by swinging the stave-holder accordingly.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I is a side elevation of two of our improved machines combined. Fig. II is a plan thereof. Fig. III is a front elevation of the same. Fig. IV is a plan of the mechanism by which the swing or stave-holder is supported and actuated. Fig. V is an enlarged detached front view, showing the manner of arranging one of the knives. Fig. VI is a rear view of the same. Fig. VII is a sectional view on line a; m, Fig. V, showing the method of securing the knives in the cutter -wheel. Fig. VIII is a sectional view on line 3 y, Fig. V. Fig. IX is a fragmentary elevation of the clamping device arranged at the lower end of the staveholder. Fig. X is a sectional plan view thereof.

Like letters designate like parts in each of the figures.

The frame of our improved combined machines consists of a base portion composed of two similar two-legged standards, A, connected by a cross-piece, A at their top, cast together in one piece. A A are two vertical standards, provided with flan gesat their base, by which they are bolted to the top of the base portions A A. They are connected at their top by a tie-bar, A bolted thereto. B is a horizontal shaft, having its bearings in the columns A and carrying a driving pulley, I), and loose pulley 11, between said columns. 0 (l are two similar cutter-wheels keyed to the outer ends of the shaft B.

As the remaining parts of the two machines which are connected together by the single frame and common shaft are the same in construction, the following description will be confined to one of said machines, although the corresponding parts of the said machines will be designated by the same letter.

The face of the cutter-wheel G is made concave so as to produce the necessary swell at the center of the stave. D D are the knives, and d the cutting-edges thereof, preferably arranged out of a radial line, as shown in Figs. III and V. The knives are arranged in a recess or depression formed in the face of the wheel so as to lie in nearly the same plane, as shown in Figs.VII and VIII, instead of being arranged obliquely in a slot extending through the wheel. The ends of the knives are made dovetailed, the inner end of the recess being made of corresponding shape for retaining them in place. The outer end of eachknife is secured by means of a bolt, f, the head of which is constructed with a dovetail notch, j, to receive the correspondingly-shaped outer end of the knife. The knife is tightened or loosened by means of a nut, f, on the rear side of the wheel, as most clearly shown in Fig. VII, and adjusted outwardly by setscrews g, as shown in Figs.VI, VII, and VIII. As the cutting-edges of the knives become worn they are required to be adjusted forward, which necessitates a support at the back capable of corresponding adjustment. For this purpose a recess is formed in the rear of the wheel 0, at the center of the back of the knife, in which is fitted a plate, h, which is provided with a slot, through which passes a bolt, h, by which the plate It is secured to the base of the recess of the cutter-wheel, and adjusted with the knife, as shown in Figs. VI and VIII. 1 is the stave-holder or swing, arranged in front of the cutter-wheel, and provided at its upper and lower ends with arms I, extending at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the stave-holder. J J are two curved arms or links, pivoted to the inner ends of the arms I of the stave-holder, and connected rigidly by a vertical bar, J, cast in one piece with the curved arms. The outer ends of the latter are pivoted to brackets K K, secured to the upright standard and base portion of the main frame, respectively. j is a spring attached to the upper arm J, and bearing against the standard A so as to press the arm J and swing I outward. L L are two outwardly-diverging horizontal bars, secured to the top of the standard A by bolts 1, each of the bars being preferably constructed in two pieces, connected by a screw, 1, passing through a slotted hole, so that the length of the bars may be adjusted. M M are two radial arms, pivoted at m to the outer ends of the bars L L,respectively, their pivots being equidistant from the fulcrum of the swing I. They are arranged between said bars, one above the other, so as to cross each other. The arms M M are connected, centrally between the bars L L, to the swing I, at its u pperfulcrum, by abolt, m, passing through both of the arms M M, the arm I of the swing, and the upper arm J, as clearly shown in Figs. III and IV. That portion of each of the arms M M which projects beyond the central pivot m and which is marked m m respectively, is so arranged that its outer edge projects further outward than the adjacent portion of the other arm. n is an upwardlyprojccting pin or stop, secured to the outer portion of the upper arm I of the swing. N is a hand-lever pivoted to the stop a, and a a rod pivoted to the top of the standard A and connecting with the hand-lever N at some distance from its fulcrum.

The operation of this part of our improvements is as follows: In swinging the staveholder I from one side to the other, its fulcrum is located at W. YVhen, the stave, secured to the holder I, is about to come in contact with the cutter-wheel, the stave-holder and its connecting parts have assumed the position indicated by dotted lines in Fig. IV, the stop a just touching the projecting end of of the arm M. Upon turning the handlever N, so as to bring the stave in contact with the cutter-wheel, said lever swings on the outer pivot of the rod 12 as a fulcrum, and causes the stop a of the stave-holder to engage with the projecting end m of the arm M. The stave-holder now follows the movement of the latter, whereby its fulcrum is shifted from m to m. The radius of the staveholder I does vary directly, according to the radius of the barrel for which the stave is designed. We efi'ect this adjustment by engaging the pivot-pins at the ends of the radial arms M M with one or the other of a number of holes provided in said arms. When the joint is formed by the knives in the cutterwheel, the hand-lever N is released, and the reaction of the spring j returns the parts to the position shown in dotted lines. By swinging the holder I to the other side, the stop it of the swing engages with the outer end m of the lever M, and the operation of forming the other joint is similar to that above described.

Although the mechanism for feeding the stave to the cutter-wheel is arranged at the upper end of the stave-holder,-the latter is operated alike at all points by means of the rigid connection between the arms J.

The machine is adapted to joint staves of greater or less width by arranging the fulcrum of the stave-holder I at a greater or less distance from the face of the cutter-wheel, which is accomplished by lengthening or shortening the arms L L by means of the slotted connection l, or by arranging the two portions of each arm at a greater or less angle to each other.

In Figs. I and III, 0 represents the upper clamp for securing the stave to the holder I. It consists of a vertically adjustable plate so as to receive staves of different thicknesses. 0 represents the lower clamp, pivoted -to the stave-holder at 19, its lower end being attached to a foot-lever, q, whose inner end is connected in the manner of a toggle-joint by links 1' to a block, 8, arranged in a recess in the stave-holder, and secured thereto by a bolt, 8. t is a block of rubber or other elastic material, arranged behind the block 8. It is adjusted by set-screws t bearing against a metallic plate.

When the clamp is disengaged, the parts assume the positions represented in dotted lines, Fig. IX. By applying the pressure of the foot to the lever g the clamp is closed and the stave firmly clamped, the parts being enabled to lock in the positions shown in full lines in Figs. I and IX by the elasticity of the block 15.

- o claim-- 1. The combination, with the cutter-wheel O and knife D, having dovetailed ends, of the fastening-bolt f and bearing-block h, provided with dovetail notch f, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the cutter-wheel, stave-holder I, radial arms M M, and adjustable bars L L, of the hinged arms J J, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

3. The combination, with the stave-holder I, provided with arms I, of the radial arms M M and arms J, for the purpose of controlling and shifting the centers of the staveholder I to any desired point to produce the radius required, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

4. The combination, with the cutter-wheel, stave-holder I, and hinged bearings J, of the reacting spring j, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

5. The combination, with the stave-holder I and cutter-wheel (J, of the lever N and rod n, for the purpose of swinging the staveholder from one side of the center of the cutter-wheel to the other, and to hold the stave firmly against the cutter-wheel while being jointed, as hereinbefore set forth.

6. The combination, with the stave-holder I, pivoted clamp 19, and foot-lever q, of the togglejoint link 1 and adjusting bearingblock s, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

EDWARD HOLMES. BRITAIN HOLMES. Witnesses:

JOHN J. BONNER, EDWARD WILHELM. 

